I will, however, pass along an article written by Alexis Baden-Mayer Organic Consumers Association, June 23, 2009 relating to OCA’s position on the New House Food Safety Bill, for those interested in their take on the matter…

Straight to the Source

There’s been a lot of buzz on the web about the new Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 2749). Many of our supporters have called or emailed us to find our stance on the issue.

Although the Organic Consumers Association is fairly satisfied that the bill is intended to protect organic farmers from being negatively impacted by new food safety regulations (Sec. 419A directs the USDA to “take into consideration, consistent with ensuring enforceable public health protection, the impact on small-scale and diversified farms, and on wildlife habitat, conservation practices, watershed-protection efforts, and organic production methods”), unfortunately the bill does not address the underlying causes of America’s persistent and evermore serious food safety crisis: factory farms and chemical-intensive agriculture. When addressing the concerns of E.coli or salmonella, the bill focuses on fresh vegetables and fruits rather than CAFOs or intensive confinement factory farms, in effect treating the symptom and not the disease.

A close look at the nation’s food poisoning epidemics over the past decade reveal that the overwhelming majority of fruit and vegetable contamination incidents are a direct result of water and soil pollution from large factory farms. The OCA believes that HR 2749 should be amended to address factory farming:

1. Animals should never be fed blood, manure or slaughterhouse waste.

2. Cows need to eat grass.

3. Animals need to be spread out on enough land to absorb their waste.

4. CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) pose unacceptable risks to human health, such as antibiotic resistance, incubate dangerous viruses and pathogens, such as the Swine Flu and Bird Flu, contaminate the environment, institutionalize animal cruelty, and need to be phased out and shut down.

In addition, we share the concerns of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and support the amendments suggested by the Maine Organic Farmers And Gardeners Association. We also agree with the Wild Farm Alliance, especially their position paper, Food Safety Requires a Healthy Environment: Policy Recommendations for E. coli O157.

The dangers to food safety of factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations, are well documented by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Resources Defense Council and Food & Water Watch.

In addition to factory farm runoff, vegetables can also become contaminated is through the use of untreated animal manure or biosolids (the fertilizer industry’s name for sewage sludge/human waste). Organic regulations ban sewage sludge and have rules for the use of manure that prevent contamination.

Certified organic farmers must maintain a farm plan detailing the methods used to build soil fertility, including the application of manure. Organic rules require raw animal manure to be composted if it is to be applied to land used for a crop intended for human consumption. Well-composted manure reduces the incidence of E. coli. Manure must be applied to the land at least 120 days prior to harvest if the edible part crops come in contact with soil, and at least 90 days prior to harvest of edible parts that do not come into contact with soil. Longer periods can be required by certifiers if soil or other conditions warrant. No other agricultural regulation in the United States imposes such strict control on the use of manure.

For more information on this and other important Organic News you may wish to visit Organic Consumer’s Association.

As I already knew our bodies are animated through Life Force Energy, and our health depends upon what we feed our bodies, as well as that energy in which we gather and store, it was an easy choice to open the following book and soak up the knowledge within. Raw Food - Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose is not your average weight loss type book. I don’t diet, and never have. I like to feed my body that which I believe is naturally good for me, yet even I was shocked at a few eye openers I found within the pages of Natalia’s book!

If you are striving to feel beautiful, healthy, and alive, then I would suggest taking a few moments to learn what Natalia Rose has compiled. She is a top nutritionist, and highly sought after amongst people from all walks of life. Her insights teach us that we can all have a beautiful lean body, youthful radiant skin, abundant energy, and attain a state of natural bliss. The secret is tapping into the ultimate source of well-being-Life Force Energy. If we can properly harness and increase our Life Force Energy through simple dietary and environmental principles, and therefore cleanse and bring our bodies back to their natural, harmonious frequency, we can experience radically improved levels of health, beauty, and happiness.

Rose presents four fundamental energy principles and practical applications, leading us to the best sources of natural energy-such as raw fruits and vegetables, sunlight, and fresh air, to name a few. These principles lay the groundwork for Rose’s comprehensive 21-day program, followed by more than seventy original, mouthwatering recipes that range from healthful cooked fish dishes to raw vegetarian soups, entrees, and desserts to accommodate all levels of raw food energy dieters.

I am quite excited about getting my hands on this book, and although I have not quite finished the program as outlined above, I will be certain to create an updated review as soon as I do! I am already well versed in gathering energy from Nature and the Environment around us, so I am curious to see how my body responds to a positive change from what I feed it. I was actually suprised to find certain foods in which I thought were healthy, are in fact not good for our bodies at all!

I wish any and all who venture on the Path to inner Vitality, Health, and Beauty much luck and good thoughts to help you on your journey. We are all Energy Beings who deserve to live up to our full potential. Happiness will follow, of that I am certain!!

Enjoy each moment,

Teri
~

“Good Morning,

Carolyn Gray”

EarthWorks takes Action

Rio Tinto and BHP - Billiton have created a subsidiary that is proposing to mine a rich copper vein more than 7,000 feet below sea level east of Superior, Arizona. As a first step, Rio Tinto is currently shopping around a land exchange bill that would end an executive order banning mining from Oak Flat Campground and privitize more that 3,000 acres of public land.

Concerned citizens are worried about the loss of Oak Flat Campground, a very popular recreation area. Birders, climbers, campers, canyoneers, bikers, and hikers enjoy the area throughout the year, all of whom would be greatly harmed if these lands were forever taken from public access. Western Apache people have traditionally used the area for cultural, spiritual, and subsistance. The land exchange would include Apache Leap, a cliff where more than 80 Apache warriors chose to leap to their deaths rather than surrender to the US calvary.

Both the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the White Mountain Apache Tribe has passed unanimous reslutions opposing the mine and land exchange. In addition, the Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners Association in Superior, AZ has been meeting regularly opposing the land exchange and is circulating a petition.

The label cruelty free does not mean that a product actually is. There is no legislation that deals with the labelling of beauty and health products. This means, for example, that a product can be labelled cruelty free even if the company tested every one of the ingredients on animals but didn’t test the finished product. Cruelty free products can also contain animal products or use ingredients that were animal tested by other companies.

Vegan products contain no animal ingredients and are usually strict and specific about animal testing and using animal tested ingredients on their labels.
..There is a significant difference between a cruelty-free label and a vegan label. Vegan products adhere to cruelty-free standards, but in addition, these products don’t contain any animal ingredients or animal byproducts. Many conventional beauty products, particularly cosmetics and shampoos, contain ingredients that are derived from animals or animal byproducts

If you’re concerned that your beauty products aren’t vegan and a telephone call to the company doesn’t reveal whether an ingredient is animal-derived or not, PETA’s Wesley suggests contacting an animal protection organization. They’ll be able to provide you with the detailed ingredient information that makeup labels do not provide.

Here is a listing of some surprising animal ingredients to look for on cosmetic labels and some greener alternatives

Ingredient: Allantoin
Source/Use: Found in cows and other mammals and used as a healing agent in many cosmetic creams and lotions
Alternative: Allantoin is also found in many plants, particularly the extract of comfrey root.

Ingredient: Beeswax
Source/Use: Wax from virgin bees is used as a sealant in lipsticks, mascaras, eye creams, lip balms and nail whiteners
Alternative: Paraffin, vegetable oils and fats.

Ingredient: Boar bristles
Source/Use: Hair from boars commonly used in makeup brushes and toothbrushes
Alternative: Nylon or vegetable fibers.

Ingredient: Biotin
Source/Use: Found in all living cells and used in cosmetics and shampoos
Alternative: Plant sources.

Ingredient: Stearyl alcohol or sterols
Source/Use: A mixture of solid alcohols that may sometimes be prepared from sperm whale oil and is used in skin creams, hair rinses and some shampoos
Alternative: Vegetable stearic acid

Ingredient: Fish liver oil
Source/Use: A source of vitamin A sometimes used in cosmetics and hair dyes
Alternative: Vitamin A derivatives from carotene (carrots) or synthetic sources

Ingredient: Mink oil
Source/Use: An emollient used for its moisturizing properties in cosmetics and skin creams
Alternative: Vegetable/natural oils such as avocado, almond and jojoba

Ingredient: Silk/silk powder
Source/Use: The tiny fibers made by silk worms to form a cocoon — used as a coloring ingredient ion face powders and soaps
Alternative: Milkweed seed-pod fibers or synthetic silks

Ingredient: RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)
Source/Use: Slaughterhouse waste that is commonly used in many protein-enriched shampoos and conditioners
Alternative: Plant cells

Ingredient: Sponge (luna and sea)
Source/Use: A sea animal that looks like a plant and is used as an ingredient for sponges and loofahs
Alternative: synthetic sponges

Ingredient: Stearic acid
Source/Use: Fat extracted from cows, sheep and pigs and used as a lubricant in deodorant, hair spray, shampoo and soap
Alternative: Vegetable fats or coconut

The atrocities commited on a daily basis really makes me wonder which is the better role, being a human, or being an animal. At least animals, when left alone in their true habitat, are true to their own basic nature and have no wish to control the world around them. Some humans behave in such a way as to show they are more inhuman than they would like to think. Pehaps if this treatment by humans, of animals against their will, were reversed… well then one might take a step back and see just how sick some people really are.

I would like to point the way to a rather disturbing example of why I find a world where humans mistakenly believe they have the power over animals to do things that go against their basic nature so abhorrent. 10 Animals Being Used for Human Entertainment is just a very small example of how widespread this travesty truly is.

I find no amusement in the disrespectful treatment of those beings the Creator has placed upon this planet as part of the Great Balance. Who are we to take advantage of the wild ones who live alongside us? There is only shame in such treatment. We can stop this simply by not participating, and letting our voices be heard in protest of these bizarre practices. Most people don’t even think about it, but it is the darker part of human nature which turns a blind eye to the dishonor we show when we condone such behaviour.

Washington, D.C. May 5, 2009 - USDA today announced a special three- week sign-up for farmers in the process of converting to organic farming to receive technical and financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a move applauded by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and its grassroots member organizations across the country.

“This was a was a wrong that needed righting, and with today’s announcement USDA is not only setting it right, but doing so in an innovative and farmer-friendly manner,” said Aimee Witteman, NSAC Executive Director. “We thank NRCS and USDA leadership for listening to the concerns of organic farmers and applaud their new initiative.”

For more details on how to sign up between May 11th and May 29th, please visit Organic Consumers Association to get the whole scoop. It is important to pass this information along to your networks as quickly as possible to beat the deadline. This is good news for Organic Farmers!

You may wish to visit ATTRA - National Sustainable Information Service: Agricultural and Organic Farming News to get the latest information as well.

Personally, I would prefer they find a better place to feast, yet unfortunately I cannot persuade natures little nasties to find a new place to dine without getting a little mean about it. Even though it goes against my nature to eliminate creatures that must have some purpose on this planet, I just wish it could be served elsewhere, preferably far away from our beautiful garden. I would be very happy to find an organic pest control that can eliminate my gardens most unwanted enemies without using poisons, or causing harm to my family and the environment.

In my search to resolve these concerning issues, I believe I may have discovered a way to conquer the bugs without feeling too guilty over this pest elimination in my tiny yard and garden space. In comes Safer® Brand Bug Patrol. This organic bug patrol kills over 40 insects and bugs, effectively stopping them from eating our flowers, ornamentals, lawns, trees and much more!

Well then, I do believe the tide of this battle may have just turned in my favor! Now that I have such a great weapon in my organic arsenal to help in this Battle of the Bugs, I can share this knowledge with others interested in learning how to fight natures nasties as well. I am always happy to hear other peoples opinions and/or experiences, so feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

Please go to www.savebiogems.org/bears/takeaction and urge the
Forest Service to keep the road permanently closed.

With encroaching development on nearby lands, the Sweetwater
Valley — inside the Shoshone National Forest — has become a
secure oasis for threatened and imperiled wildlife.

In the eight years that the road has been closed, an abundance
of wildlife has thrived here, including grizzly bears, wolves,
lynx, cougars and moose.

In fact, grizzlies that have just come out of hibernation are
grazing right now on grass and other plants found in the valley.

There is no rationale for the Forest Service’s proposal to
reopen the road, which leads nowhere and has languished for
years. Reopening the road would only disturb and threaten the
Sweetwater Valley’s wilderness and wildlife.

Please go to www.savebiogems.org/bears/takeaction right away and
urge the Forest Service to leave the road closed. Time is
running out, as forest officials plan to reopen the road in the
next few weeks.

Thank you for taking action to protect our remaining western
wildlands.

One such place is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the Isles of Scilly. Here we will surely find enough to explore to satisfy even my adventurous nature! From what I have learned, the Isles of Scilly lie fewer than 30 miles off the Cornish coast, but visitors might sometimes imagine that they had travelled to a different country. There is plenty on the Isles of Scilly that you simply will not find anywhere else, whether it’s wildlife, archeology, landscape, tranquility, an almost sub-tropical feel or just the islanders’ friendliness.

According to the NAAONB Website for the Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly comprise of around 200 rocks and islands, five of which are currently inhabited. Part of what makes the Islands so distinctive is their wide diversity of plant and animal life. Summer temperatures are slightly cooler than the mainland’s (although winters are milder, too).

These conditions are kind to the sub-tropical plants that have made the Islands their home. As the atmosphere on Scilly lacks the dust and industrial pollutants seen almost everywhere these days, the light has a striking brightness and clarity.

Like the air, the sea’s also unusually clean, which helps explain the profusion of marine life, from anemones and kelp to seals, porpoises and dolphins. Scilly has a large number of migrating birds and supports a greater density of song thrushes than anywhere on the British mainland, due to its small fields and hedges.

These same fields show the signs of human activity which, since beginning over 4,000 years ago, continued through the Bronze and Iron Ages as humans settled, farmed land and - from 500BC to the second world war - protected the Islands from the threat of invasion.

Tourism dominates the economy with, on average, around 120,000 tourists visiting the islands each year. Flower farming and fishing remain important, although both these sectors have struggled in recent years.

As well as being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the islands are protected by a range of designations which include a heritage coast and a conservation area, as well as - amongst others - a Special Protection Area (under the EC Birds Directive), a Marine Special Area of Conservation (under the EC Habitats Directive) and 26 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Quite apart from which there are well over 130 listed buildings and 238 Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

Final Thoughts

Oh yes, there is definately a great amount of curiosity building up inside of my being to visit such a treasure trove of areas to explore! The uninhabited islands are an absolutely fascinating subject with the thought of many wondrous hours of observing nature in her finest detail. Ummm… yeah… the magically beautiful Isles of Scilly are definately a place to add to my growing list of future adventures!

This renewal is such a wonderful affirmation which gives me hope, no matter the hopeless circumstances I may at times find myself in. As I struggle with a personal battle on my homefront, I must look at the beauty of Life and take it into my heart to give me the courage to hold my head high as I walk forth onto a path that is terribly uncertain. I feel confident that my steps are taking me closer to a good outcome, yet my journey is so full of pain and sorrow in this moment.

I am going to focus on growing beautiful, colourful plants and flowers as well as herbs to bring health and wellness to my family. I love to grow things, so this will serve a double pupose, if you will. In nurturing that which brings us pleasure and goodness, we bring about a comforting balance within our spirits. There is simply too much darkness in the world, and we must strive to bring light into our lives in the best way we know how.

So to those around the world who are busy nurturing their own gardens, I send out warm and happy thoughts. May you enjoy many moments of peace and contentment in your sweet spaces, and may your gardens grow wild and beautiful, and may the little fairies who nurture the green places find refuge in your little world.

I have a great amount of admiration for those who go the extra mile to keep this planet green and beautiful, while setting good examples for others to follow. So much is taken for granted, that when one looks at the really big picture we can see how each seemingly insignificant act can have a huge impact on the world in which we live in.

It takes all of us to be earth conscious and aware of how we walk on this Earth. Every action we take may be multiplied to the good or ill of the health of the natural world. Whether we know it or not, we are all responsible for our own actions, and the reactions that result.

As Stefanie and Joie seem to share my love of all things green, growing and beautiful, I would like to share their blog Focus Organic with you. I like their style, and you will find a lot of tips on going green, and how to enjoy an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Please take a few moments to visit… I am sure you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!